Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 when an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria launched a two-pronged surprise attack on Israel, hoping to avenge their defeat in the Six-Day War and reclaim the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, respectively. While the Egyptian surprise attack destroyed the IDF's Bar-Lev Line and nearly pushed the Israelis out of the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula, the Israelis marshalled their strength and counterattacked on both fronts, destroying the Arab armies. The war led to an oil crisis as the Arab League and OPEC began an oil embargo against the United States due to its support for Israel, but it also led to the 1978 Camp David Accords, whereby President Anwar Sadat of Egypt formally made peace with Israel and recognized its existence. Background The 1967 Six-Day War resulted in a humiliating defeat for Israel's Arab neighbors, as Israel occupied Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Syria's Golan Heights, and the Jordanian-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt began a three-year "War of Attrition" against Israel, launching artillery bombardments and commando raids across the Suez Canal and against the occupying Israeli soldiers. In November 1970, Nasser - the most revered leader of the Arab nationalist movement - died, and Anwar Sadat succeeded him. A year earlier, Arab nationalist military officers had seized power in Libya, and, on 1 January 1972, Libya, Egypt, and Syria united under the nationalist "Federation of Arab Republics". Egypt and Syria, backed by a coalition of other Arab League states, planned to launch surprise attacks on Israel on 6 October 1973, the date of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. Egypt prepared 100,000 soldiers, 1,350 tanks, and 2,000 guns and heavy mortars for an attack across the Suez Canal, while the Syrians prepared 28,000 troops, 800 tanks, and 600 artillery pieces for an attack on the Golan Heights. War At 2:00 PM on 6 October 1973, the Egyptian attack on the Israeli defenses along the Suez Canal - the "Bar-Lev Line" - began. The Egyptian Army used water cannons to hose down the Israelis' sand walls, destroying their defenses and allowing for them to establish bridgeheads across the canal. Supported by mobile SAM batteries and portable anti-tank missiles, the Egyptians advanced across the Sinai, catching the IDF forces by surprise. The Egyptian Air Force also attacked Israeli Air Force airbases, weakening the Israeli defenses; a total of 100 IAF planes were destroyed by the Egyptians in the first few days of the war. From 9 to 12 October, the fighting in the Sinai was halted by a US-brokered ceasefire, but, on 15 October 1973, the Israelis counterattacked against the Egyptians once their armor had advanced beyond the range of their SAM missiles, allowing the Israelis to call in air support. In Operation Gazelle, IDF forces spearheaded by Ariel Sharon's division broke through the Tasa Corridor and crossed the Suez Canal, reaching the Great Bitter Lake. The Israelis broke through two Egyptian armies and encircled the Egyptian 3rd Army on the east bank of the Suez Canal. The IDF then advanced up to Port Suez and then progressed towards the Egyptian capital of Cairo; the Israeli advance was halted only by the 24 October ceasefire. Meanwhile, the numerically-superior Syrian Arab Army attacked the small Israeli force defending the Golan Heights at 2:00 PM on 6 October 1973, concurrent with the Egyptian attack. The IDF was overconfident about its chances of success, believing that their 100 tanks could fight off the Syrians' 800; however, the Syrians pushed deep into Israeli territory, threatening the Israeli defenses. However, the Israelis fought hard and destroyed 900 Syrian tanks in a massive armored battle, driving the Syrians from the Golan Heights on 9 October 1973 and repelling a counterattack from Quneitra. On 11 October 1973, Israeli forces began their push on Damascus, crushing the Syrian reservist forces in their path and coming within 25 miles of Damascus' outskirts, which they proceeded to shell. As Israel invaded Syria, Iraq sent 30,000 troops, 500 tanks, and 7,000 APCs to reinforce the Syrians, but they were attacked by Israeli jets as they entered Syria. On 20 October, the Arabs lost 120 tanks while attempting to drive the Israelis from the Bashan salient. On 23 October, the Israelis shot down 10 Syrian aircraft over Damascus, and they also recaptured Mount Hermon after a hard-fought battle. Syria prepared 5 divisions, reinforced by Iraqi and Jordanian expeditionary forces, for a counterattack against the Israelis on 23 October, but, a day later, the UN imposed a ceasefire on the combatants. Syria was forced to accept, as, if the war continued, the Egyptian Third Army would be destroyed and Israel could focus all of its attention on taking Damascus. Aftermath The Yom Kippur War was the last attempt by a coalition of Arab states to militarily destroy Israel. In 1978, Egypt and Israel made peace in the Camp David Accords, the first ever peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state. In 1979, Israel began to withdraw its troops and settlers from the Sinai as part of the peace plan, and the last of its troops left on 26 April 1982. However, Israel resumed its occupation of the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank for decades to come, leading to resistance from the Palestine Liberation Organization and its allies, which carried out terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, settlements, and military forces. This would ultimately lead to Israel's 1982 intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, invading and occupying South Lebanon until 2000. Category:Wars